Patanjali Yoga Sutra - III - 11

A mind game all the way

Sarvarthathaikagrathayoho Kshayaudayau Chittasya Samadhi Parinamaaha||

The Chitta is your sub-conscious mind which is a repository of millions of thought impressions that it has encountered through countless births. The moment you sit for meditation and try to make the mind one-pointed, all the other impressions will try to break loose and distract the mind into mindless pieces. But with consistent effort, it will again become one-pointed. So the play of one-pointedness and multi-pronged thoughts will continue until the practice deepens and the mind is able to gather itself completely and be firmly established. This is the mind game that we are all up to. Just like the little boy when told to sit down to study, would want to go to the toilet, then close the window, then switch on the fan and then sit down, open the book to hopefully study! this mind plays around like a little kid in the initial stages of meditation.
- SS